TikTok influencers are trying to convince you that moderate drinking is the latest “trend.”
Users of the platform even coined a term for the latest drinking trend: “wet lifestyle,” which is simply drinking in moderation.
Rather than stop drinking entirely, the so-called wet lifestyle promotes cutting back on alcohol and choosing whether or not to drink.
If you already only have a few drinks a week or have a drink on special occasions, you’re already living a humid lifestyle, licensed psychotherapist Teralyn Sell told Bustle.
TikToker @hana.elson, who has 33,500 followers and 2 million likes, said the wet lifestyle is “internalizing the fact that drinking culture and your relationship with alcohol doesn’t have to be black or white. , all or nothing”.
She explained that for her, a wet lifestyle began without hard alcohol or drinks, but “reintroduced hard alcohol only in a fun drink format.”
“I’m not saying that I’m sober, so please keep that in mind,” she clarified.
Hana often starts the night off with a mocktail or drinks glasses of water in between her alcoholic drinks.
“I needed a way for myself to understand that I didn’t have to go to a bar and pass out or just stay home,” he said.
She says there’s a difference between “drinking to enjoy versus drinking to get drunk” and goes into her night with an “action plan” to “drink with tomorrow’s mindset” and prevent a bad hangover.
“It’s literally like teaching yourself exactly what you can handle,” he explained.
Another TikToker @therealsamelle, who has 13,100 followers and 1.3 million likes, said she participates in a “wet lifestyle” because she doesn’t like to drink.
“I used to do it because everyone else was doing it, and I don’t think that’s a good reason for me to be doing anything,” he said, explaining that he only drinks on special occasions now.
In another TikTok, Hana wrote: “We talk about being sober, we talk about being drunk, but how can we successfully follow a ‘wet’ lifestyle? Is it just me or did everyone recently wake up and completely reassess their relationship with alcohol? where they still want to go out and socialize, but don’t want to wake up with 2 days of depression…
People took to the comments to express what they felt was obvious: that this was just moderate drinking.
“I think it’s just called a healthy relationship with alcoholics,” someone commented with laughing emojis.
“I think that’s called getting old,” joked one user.
“Tried dating with a ‘moderation’ mindset and woke up in a bush,” one user shared.
“I feel like it’s called self-control,” said another.
“This is called alcoholism. Normal people can drink without binge drinking,” one person commented.
The latest drinking trend on the platform is a “wet lifestyle,” which is simply drinking in moderation.TikTok/hana.elson
“I think it’s a normal stance to just want to have a drink in social situations. I don’t understand the new label/lifestyle being marketed,” someone said.
“I think it’s called moderation?” one user commented.
Hana responded to the moderation comment in a separate video to address the issue of having “this mindset.”
“If you really want to reevaluate your relationship with alcohol and this is something that is a priority for you, this mindset will not be enough,” he said, adding that you need “practical steps” to make the lifestyle work.
“For a lot of people, ‘moderation’ isn’t a thing. It’s all or nothing,” replied one user.
Others pointed out that one of the problems with the wet lifestyle is that it doesn’t work for people who are really trying not to drink.
“Wet lifestyle…also known as…moderation. Which doesn’t work for alcoholics,” one user noted.
“The problem is: drinking alcohol and determining a ‘fun alcohol format.’ You can make any excuse to drink strong alcohol (or have shots),” said another.
“You can’t really teach yourself what you can handle, that might not sit well with attacks,” someone commented.
“If you’re trying to control your drinking in this way,” someone suggested, “perhaps abstinence would be a better recommendation.”
Source: news.google.com